Vanish
by Dragonmorph
Summary: School grew boring for you, and you struggled with learning to play the piano. You wondered how life was going to turn out. Were you fated to stumble into the band room where a young man by the name of Matthew became your close friend? There were many questions about him and his brother who was obsessed with finding the truth. CountryxReader/Human AU. Warning: Character death.


**I don't know… I saw this Hetaoni drawing and I suddenly imagined Canada playing the piano. I always joke around with him, but I decided to be a bit serious in using him as an invisible person. Sure, it could've been Austria, but Canada needs love. I wanted to use the title name and the idea was just inspired. I also wanted to try angst after reading this Gravity Falls fanfiction.**

**Fun fact: Vanish was originally going to be the name for a (Your girl character) x Skye (or whatever the heck his name was) from Harvest Moon. Well, imagine you and Canada on a farm and bred…. I don't know… Alpacas? I'm sorry. I'm an ignorant person who lives in America.**

**For those who read the story, it probably sounds cliché with Canada by now. Charlie St. Cloud was my guilty inspiration for whom I based parts of this off of. I once whined to my mom about how Charlie gets all goo-goo when I wanted to avoid the romance, but she told me: "Hey, Jess. He had a connection with the dead and the past. He needed to move on with the living." Words of wisdom. **  
**Charlie needed to realize there is a life ahead of him and he managed to make amends by saving a life when he believed he failed in saving his brother. It's a good movie overall.**

** addition: I had this uploaded on Deviantart few weeks back, so do not fret for those waiting for me to finish up my other story's next chapter :) I normally do not write CountryxReader stories, but I wanted to experiment a bit.**

**Warnings: Character death. Slight America x Reader. A quick one-shot so not much detail going into it compared to a multi-chapter.**

* * *

Vanish

The crowd was cheering at you and they complimented your natural talent: the piano. You knew how to play as your hands danced across the keys and they, in return, played a melodic tune. It followed what you wanted like a loyal dog who wanted to please his master. The piano seemed to really have a loyal bone in its body because even the music teacher applauded your performance.

Mr. Edelstein, the music teacher, overheard you play a song once and asked you if you wanted to play a solo piece for him. You gladly accepted because it had been your long life dream to be noticed. He offered many places to train and show your talents.  
Everyone was shouting your name. They were screaming with excitement and your parents stood in the balcony – proud of their daughter.

You felt popular and lively, but at the same time, you wondered if this was really a dream.

"_! Wake up this instant. It's not kindergarten where you could sleep whenever." The teacher scolded, tapping the edge of the ruler on your desk.

The sound scared you with a sudden jolt; you looked up and muttered something about an equation. Your eyes looked up towards the teacher and you feebly turned towards the board where you learned about your new lessons.

Unfortunately, these lessons were not the piano ones you wished to play. This was the reality you needed to study abroad for the real world.

You were still groggy, but your ears hardly lied to you when some students surrounding you snickered at another embarrassing moment to add to your day. Everything came clear to you now, but it couldn't fix the blush apparent on your face.

"Are you awake now, _?" The teacher asked you.

You nodded class continued like normal until the bell rang and your best friend gathered her books, waiting for you near your locker. You dropped off the unnecessary books into the nice container and pulled out a few key items for the last hour of the day. The door slammed shut, but it didn't graze you when your friend tilted her head and frowned at the particular book in your class.

"Psychology." She mumbled. "Why did you pick up that class?"

You shot a look at her, and rolled your eyes. You clearly heard her mention why she would disapprove of it, but you were fascinated with the study of human minds. If it was human, it'd be anatomy class.

"I like learning about how people work, I guess." You replied nonchalantly.

She shrugged and gave you a quick hug. "Later! Try not to be late to your last class."

"I won't." You promised her and went straight to class.

"Did you hear about the boy?" "Who?" "Doesn't the body look like Alfred's?" "Oh heck no, that is not Alfie's body."

The other seniors in your class huddled around each other like a flock of crows. Their faces were expressed with shock, but their skin turned paler than its original skin tone. The voices they used were hushed and gravely – something you didn't know the talkative ones of the class could control.

You walked in and sat on a nearby desk which wasn't used by the other students.

"What's up about this one guy?" You blurted out.

All eyes turned upon you, and their color seemed to slowly return since they had an excuse to ignore the topic. You felt nervous gaining this much attention just because you didn't feel like eavesdropping or hearing the whispers drum inside your ears.

"It's nothing." One boy muttered. "It's just some rumors we heard."

You wanted to press on, but they all looked nervous so you decided to drop the subject. Ironically, the psychology teacher didn't plan on letting it slide so easily.

"It's normal for death to shock everyone who knew him or her. They lived in peace, but we still live with our emotions. It's a touchy subject in the beginning." The teacher said, walking through the door and fixing his tie. "I'm afraid the rumors should be left out of class if it involves any pain to other students."

Everyone on the desks slid off and sat down. The class discussed in silence, but you wondered what had made the day feel so down and unhappy? The bell rang again and everyone shoved each other through the school escape system, but you weren't in much of a rush. You still had time until your piano lessons.

As you were making your way to the parking lot, you saw the popular jock, Alfred, at school who many swooned over when he winked at them. Today, he looked pale and his wild blonde hair was even crazier. Dark rings were under his eyes and his blue orbs flickered and fought with the dying light. He walked like a zombie and you saw enough of those movies on a dare to know how he was walking.

You debated going up to him and asking if he was alright, but somehow it wasn't the right time. Another man went up and comforted him, but Alfred shrugged and walked away. You were more focused on the pianist Roderich who huffed at his attempt of being helpful.  
There was something interesting about a senior who lived for music.

He was gifted and he knew many of the classical composers of the older times. Heck, you even heard him and his cousin Ludwig and they argued about who had the upper hand with either a German or Austrian composer. It was always about Mozart and the debate could go on for hours until you had to leave or until someone interrupted it.

He was the reason you wanted to figure out your talents in the musician section of life. It was a silly reason, but you were young and you absolutely adored music even before high school and the time you realized your voice was out of tune. You told your parents you wanted piano lessons and a deal was made to practice.

You practiced, but your dream world made training much more tedious than you had hoped. Stubbornness was in you though so you kept on practicing. It was a few months you managed to pull off some songs, but you strived to at least gain some notice from those besides your family and the neighbors.

You dreamt of the stage again. You saw Alfred this time who was his animated self (no pun intended). He was with someone else – you couldn't make out who as the image was a man an inch shorter who was mostly transparent. They were both talking and laughing and you couldn't help but smile. The piano was still there and you slowly sat down and played a random tune.

Alfred and his ghost friend turned and faced you with their blinking eyes. They stopped laughing, but they looked at you earnestly.

"Is there a way to impress Roderich?" You asked.

Alfred said nothing.

"Is there a way to improve my piano skills?"

Nothing.

"What can I do?" You grew a little agitated by the lack of response.

He finally spoke: "Just keep playing."

You woke up and something in the back of your mind pricked impatiently at you. You accidentally took it for waking up late and you found yourself at school, panting from the drive (from which you fumbled for your keys and it ended up stuck beneath the passenger seat) and a quick run into the hallways.

The band room door was opened and you walked towards it, peering through and checking if the teacher was inside. Strangely, she wasn't but another student was at the seat of a baby grand piano recently painted with a new coat of black. He pressed lightly on the keys, and rubbed his fingers across it with interest.

You couldn't believe it was the jock who was interested in music. "A-Alfred?" You gasped.  
Alfred seemed to be startled by your sudden voice and the fact it bounced off the walls. He turned around, his eyes closed and smiling shyly though irritation blanketed his face. You were surprised it wasn't Alfred – just someone who resembled him.

The boy looked about your age, or a bit older with long, wavy blonde hair which touched his shoulders. His eyes opened with surprise and relief but you never seen anyone with brilliant purple eyes besides Roderich. He tilted his head and studied you despite the distance between you too and shrugged, deciding you weren't a threat.

He sniffed. "I-I'm not actually Alfred."

You heard timid boys before, but you never heard a Canadian accent laced with a soft voice.

"Oh. I'm sorry." You apologized with embarrassment. "You looked a bit like him so I was thrown off."

"I get that a lot." He replied gently.

"I don't think I have seen you around before. I'm _ (L/N)."

"Oh. I'm Matthew Williams. My brother is Alfred F. Jones, but people get us mixed up, eh."

"If you two are brothers are why—"

"Our parents were divorced so I lived with my mother in Canadia and Alfred lived with father in America."

You nodded, slowly forming an "o" shape with your lips. "Oh. I see…" You looked at his hands which rested on the keyboard. "Do you play piano?"

He chuckled nervously. "I learned a bit, but I'm better at hockey."

"Could you play a song for me?"

"E-Eh?" Matthew looked nervous, but he turned back around and played a small tune.

You were flabbergasted with his skills and your smile widened at the Canadian who looked at you funnily.

"It wasn't that good."

"I thought it was wonderful." You complimented him. You swore you could've saw him turn away blushing. "C-Could you teach me sometime?"

His purple eyes glinted with interest. "Sure. I'd love to."

Roderich seemed to slowly fade from your mind, but his image still lingered. You marched out of the band room and came face to face with the band teacher who suspiciously eyed you.

"What were you doing in there without a teacher's permission?" She asked.

"Well," You said nervously. "I saw a student in there so we decided to talk."

"You should've left when he did."

"Well, he's still there."

The teacher turned her head and squinted, trying to figure out what was going on with you. "I don't think it's polite to lie to an authority."

You turned and you saw Matthew inspecting the piano. "But…"

"I'll let you off easily, but excuses are excuses." The teacher spoke and wandered into the band room.

"From what you are telling me, Matthew Williams is a hot Canadian boy whom the band teacher couldn't even see when you clearly saw him." Your friend theorized.

You nodded.

"Well, she could of at least gotten some glasses."

"She does wear glasses, dummy."

She stared at you for a moment, but her face lit up with an idea. "What if Matthew is a ghost?"

"...Really?" You sighed.

She nodded excitedly. "A ghost! Imagine having a ghost for a boyfriend, _. There is a Halloween dance coming up."

"Ghosts do not exist." You reminded her. "They are just monsters who scare little kids."

She pouted. "You're no fun." She leaned sideways and grinned at you. "Look who is coming to visit you."

You turned around and saw Alfred walking your way. You had a good feeling your friend left snickering as it turned out the jock was approaching _you_.

Alfred looked sober unlike yesterday where his face was red from crying and from frustration. He held a serious look on his face which was a slightly out of character from his bubbly nature. His eyes were half closed, but it wasn't hard to miss the bright blue eyes underneath his lids.

"_." He said. "Did you and the other girl happen to be talking about a boy named Matthew Williams?"

You uttered a squeaky "yes." You weren't sure why he was asking you, but the reputation about him being an eavesdropper was a common one.

He sighed, and turned his back while thinking. "It's okay if you know him. It'd be nice to know if there are people who do. He's a subtle man so it's easy to not know he is there."

You nodded. "I only met him recently?"

He twisted his body and looked towards you with interest. "It's a shame you met him before the accident. Since you know, think I can tell you a secret?"

"Um, sure?"

He glanced sideways and checked to make sure nobody was within hearing distance. When the coast was clear, he leaned closer to you and whispered harshly: I think my brother was murdered.

You took a step back from the distance closing in, but with surprise from what he had just told you. Matthew dead? She saw him today yet everyone was talking about it yesterday if she was right about the topic being about him. "W-What?"

"It's probably going to take a bit until it soaks in. I couldn't believe it myself until I saw the crime scene." He shuddered and gritted his teeth.

"I just hope he gets avenged. He's my brother and I want to see he can live in peace." He studied you closely. "I can tell you met him before."

You nodded, but kept your month shut about bringing up meeting Matthew today.

"I'll leave you be, but if you can, contribute what you know about the murderer and the scene. I heard you want to become a researcher, am I right?"

"Yes, I-"

"Excellent." He gave a sarcastic grin. "I'll reward you if we find out together."

"Um, okay." You muttered. "I didn't really agree to such."

...

The sky was a brilliant shade of red and yellow blended together. The stars were at a low opacity, but it was nearly nighttime where they would shimmer in the open atmosphere once the sun set. The sun peered from behind the mountains with timidness, occasionally peeping through and sent a ray here and there from the western side.

It hardly bothered you to relax during the sunset. Kids were still playing on the playground and you sat on one of the benches by yourself with a book. You wanted to try and occupy yourself after what Alfred told you. Your muscles tensed just thinking about what the human life can do to another fragile soul.

You managed to look into the first page of a particular classic until someone approached you in a tan outfit (though you only saw his pants).

"_?" A shy voice asked.

You looked up and beamed at the familiar face of the pianist from earlier today. "Matthew?"

"The one and only." He joked, cracking a grin. His purple eyes darted towards the free space next to you. "M-Mind if I sit next to you?"

You stifled a giggle though you wanted to. "Of course! Go ahead and sit."

He slowly sat down next to you and mimicked watching the kids play on the slides. He let out a deep sigh and murmured: "I feel like I remember when Alfred and I were really young and we went on the slide together. Yet, I feel I cannot feel any of my memories except the ones from yesterday and today."

You lifted your head from the book and turned towards him. "It's probably short-term memory." You guessed. "I tend to have it most of the time."

He tilted his head. "Yes, that could be it, eh."

The book you read was bookmarked and closed as you gazed upon the sky and back at Matthew. You felt guilty for not noticing the long twisty strand of hair which stood out from the rest of his hair. You slowly pressed against it and Matthew widened his eyes towards you, and blushed.

"W-What..." He murmured, turning away.

"I'm sorry, I was fascinated by your curl thing."

His face returned to his original skin tone. "It's fine."

It was sudden for him to have some random girl touching his hair, but you were taken by surprised as he pressed his lips against yours for a brief moment until both body parts unattached. Both of you blushed and looked away nervously.

"Matthew..." You whispered.

He lightly chuckled. "I'm sorry. I never met anyone who never saw me as an abstract being. I guess I was a little too excited."

"Don't be."

He smiled genuinely at you and something clicked inside his head. "Oh! I remember... You want piano lessons, eh?"

"It would be a pleasure if you want to." You replied delighted.

"Excellent." He said. "8:00pm every Saturday at the music store."

"It's a date." You promised.

...

'Are you ever going to start growing out of the case? It's been forever ago and I doubt the police will ever open it or find him.'

'I know. I just need to figure out how to fix everything. Alfred made me-'

'No,' Your friend interrupted through the phone. 'Just live your life and do not fret over a dead body. Besides, if Matthew was still alive he'd be a ghost.'

'Ghosts are not real.'

'Right, and I'm a country.'

'I need to organize my papers. I'll talk to you later.'

'Bye.'

You sighed as you hung up the phone and stared unhappily at the pile of papers scattered all over your desk. The lamp only shined upon a few pieces, but you knew it was going to be hopeless organizing the notes from the printed articles.

Procrastination won you over as you slowly fell into a deep slumber. You were suddenly woken up by nothing as you groggily wiped your eyes and looked at the time. You realized, pretty quickly despite still being tired, it was a Saturday and the time was ticking.

You dashed into the garage and you fumbled for your keys and fortunately, you caught them before they slid under the seats again. You shoved the car key into the hole and the car roared to life. The garage door opened as you pulled out of the driveway, panicking and drove at the top of the speed limit the city legally allowed you to go.

7:50 - You saw the clock ticking when you made your way into the city.

7:55 - You reached the red light and you banged your head on the wheel.

7:57 - The light flashed green and you pressed down on the gas pedal as you zoomed across the interstate.

8:00 - An accident had occurred and you wanted to scream at the detour you had to take.

8:05 - You reached the music store and you looked around for a parking space.

8:08 -

You got out of the car and fast-walked towards the music store in the chilly weather. Your chest was beating fast with guilt knowing Matthew wouldn't be happy for you being late.

"_?"

You nearly froze when you heard Alfred call your name from nearby. He squinted, wondering why you were here and walked towards you. You knew you didn't have time to chat so you ran into the music store and searched for Matthew.

It took you a moment until you recognized the blonde man in a tan outfit shivering. He noticed you and he frowned, his eyes big and afraid.

"Matthew?" You said, slowly taking steps towards him.

"N-No. Go away."

You stopped in your tracks and you felt your heart burst. "What's wrong?"

"You're late. I knew you've forgotten about me." He quivered. "They always do. It all started when I was born when my life became a living nightmare. Mother always told me lies: 'Mattie, it will be fine. They will all notice you. Mattie, do not fret; your brother cares deeply about you.'"

You took a step back in shock at Matthew's behavior. "Mattie, I would never for-"

"That is what they all say." He spat. "Just go and continue to forget about me."

He charged towards you, but he missed you on purpose as he dashed out of the store. You turned and nearly went out to follow him, but someone grabbed your wrist.

"Let go! I have to go help him." You cried out.

Alfred refused to budge. "You saw Matthew... didn't you?"

You stopped whimpering enough to nod.

"When I saw him, I thought I was going crazy. When I noticed you saw him too I knew something was up. Is that how you two met?"

Again, you nodded.

"Mattie. My baby brother..." He murmured. "I wish you'd told me you were feeling neglected and I could've helped you. I know we only knew enough other for a couple years but I never understood you - you kept to yourself along with your stuffed polar bear. I wish I had. Maybe that would of kept you alive."

You gave Alfred a reassuring pat and he smiled weakly at you. "I don't believe it's your fault."

"Heh, thanks. I wish that were as simple as it should be." He tapped your front pocket where your phone stuck out. "I tried to call you, but you didn't answer."

You made a face at his accusing stare. "Sorry."

"I wanted to tell you Matthew is still alive... sort of. He's in a coma - surprising how he manages to fight this long but the doctor says he's slowly giving up and they may have to take him off the machine."

A gasp left your throat. "Matthew..."

"I know." He said sadly. "Would you like to see him?"

You tugged nervously at your (h/c) locks. "I-I guess so."

Alfred gestured towards the door. "I recommend following me in your car. I doubt you'd want to see the owner tow away your ride." He teased.

"Yes, I rather not see the bill either."

...

You both arrived at the hospital.

Alfred led you through the parking lot and into the hospital where he checked in with the nurse and allowed himself and yourself past the waiting room and through the hallway. You finally reached the room where the real Matthew resided and Alfred pressed a finger to his lips - indicating he wanted it to be a silent entrance. You nodded your understanding and the door slowly opened with a slight creak, but it hardly affected the sleeping twin of Alfred.

Matthew looked like he was in a deep slumber without nightmares or fears. It was plain peaceful the way his face looked tranquil even with the oxygen mask covering half his head. The bruises he once had healed, but a few bones stuck out and it was apparent through the sheet. The machine gave you some shivers when the pipes traced from the device to the boy.

He looked so young and at ease. You wondered if he was always where the meadow laid for good people like him.

Alfred nodded his okay for you to hover over Matthew. You grabbed his exposed hand and squeezed it gently. You wanted to see his physical form and you were given the chance. However, the doctor walked in and interrupted the moment.

"Do you two want to leave the room? I know it might be hard on you, Mr. Jones. "

"No, it's fine." Alfred looked towards you.

"No, I want to stay with him." You declared.

The doctor nodded and he reached the switch to turn off the oxygen pumping into Matthew's unconscious form. The tubes slowly turned off and the heart monitor reached a near straight line. After a few seconds, it was official he was dead.

You wanted to cry, but you decided to stay strong for him.

"Goodbye, Matt."

_Few weeks later:_

You and Alfred became good friends but you both went separate ways towards different colleges. You eventually called him up to see if he wanted to honor his brother's grave and he agreed.

You both conversed about school life outside of high school until the both of you came across the tombstone where wildflowers were laid there.

"I hope everything is working out for you, baby brother." Alfred said.

"I'm going to practice hard until I become a good enough pianist." You promised Matthew.

"Well, are you going to try and impress Roderich?" He joked.

"No. I'm not going to dwell on the past crush."

"Good. He's too boring anyway."

You giggled at his comment.

"I'm hungry." He declared. "I'm going to go to McDonalds. Want to tag along or should I drop you off at your apartment?"

"I'll join you. I'll catch up in a bit."

Alfred dashed towards his car and left you alone with the grave. You knelt down and felt hope stirring within you when you could've sworn Matthew squeezed your hand back. You were probably imagining it.

You pulled out a small keychain and smiled at the tombstone. "Happy anniversary, Mattie." You murmured and dropped the trinket into the soil before heading back to the car.

The piano keychain laid next to the flowers and it secretly hummed the song Matthew Williams played for the girl whom he loved.


End file.
